Taken from the Oct. 25 Island Dispatch

Dr. Glenna Bett and Executive Director Liz Zulawski of the American Heart Association presented Connor Middle School Assistant Principal Eleanor Payne, right, for coming to the aid of a stricken student. (photo by Kathleen Duff)

by Kathleen Duff

At a crowded Grand Island Board of
Education meeting Monday evening, Veronica Connor Middle School Assistant
Principal Eleanor Payne received official recognition from the American Heart
Association for her administering of CPR on one of her students who had
collapsed in full cardiac arrest in a school hallway Sept. 9.

Payne and other middle school staff who
played a significant role in working through the crisis received the
"Heartsaver Hero Award" from American Heart Association Buffalo Niagara Board
President Dr. Glenna Bett and Executive Director Liz Zulawski. The other
recipients were William Brodie, Barbara Nolan and Margaret Cammarano. Bett
urged passage of the "CPR in Schools" bill, which would require high school
students to take a CPR course before graduation. She elaborated that 80 percent
of all cardiac arrests occur in the home.

Payne complimented the coordinated efforts
of school staff during the crisis and emphasized the importance of being
properly trained in CPR. She has been certified in medical intervention for
more than 20 years and had just recently renewed that credential. Payne also
said that she "was in the right place at the right time."

In other business, board President Tak
Nobumoto asked for a moment of silence for trustee Joan Droit, who died
suddenly earlier this month. He praised Droit for her 40-plus years as a Grand
Island educator and for her insightful and committed work as a member of the
Board of Education.

In order to fill Droit's seat, the board discussed
the options of calling an election, leaving the seat vacant until the next
election time, or appointing an interim board member until 2015 when Droit's
term would have been over. The board requires seven members to operate.

Trustees decided to ask the public to submit
letters of intent to the district if interested in filling the vacancy. The
board would conduct interviews and make an appointment within 90 days from the
time of the vacancy. The letters will be accepted by District Clerk Janet Schuster
at the district office until Nov. 7. For more information, go to the Grand
Island Schools website: www.k12.ginet.org.

Regarding curriculum and instruction, the
board approved the 2013 Annual Professional Performance Review required by New
York state as a tool to evaluate teachers and administrators. Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Teresa Lawrence said that required observations would be done by
her, by the central office staff and by building principals. Principals would
be observed by Lawrence and central office. "Scores" achieved by school
professionals will be made available to parents.

In a report about the district's capital
improvement project, Assistant Superintendent of School Business Services Joe
Giarrizzo said that two-thirds of the concrete floor for the high school
science, technology, engineering and mathematics wing has been poured with the
remaining part being finished this week. He expected the building's structural
steel to arrive in about 10 days. The HVAC and drywall has been completed in
the new professional development space and computer lab. He assured board
members that construction workers were "trying to be as uninvasive as possible
... and to eliminate any confusion we have caused (with the work)."

Further, Giarrizzo stated that the
district is at the end of its capital reserves, which are being used for the
project, and that, in 2014, the district would need to borrow to keep
construction on track. Much of the project has been already approved by the
state for aid.

The board also heard a report on the
district's financial health from external auditors Lumsden and McCormick. The
district's "books" remain in good order.

In miscellaneous agenda items, trustees
approved Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for the student athlete's annual
sports participation physicals. Lawrence said that her office was conducting
interviews for the position of IT director and that the position would be
appointed in November.

Finally, trustees tabled discussion on the
town's 485b tax incentive for businesses locating on Grand Island. This expired
in June and continues to be a topic of discussion between the district and the
town. Board members Donna Tomkins, Emily Ciraolo and Glenn Bobeck voiced
opposition to any tax breaks for new businesses. "We should not be in the
business of incentivizing business," Bobeck said. Lisa Pyc and board Vice
President Paul Krull stated they favor it. The topic will be reviewed and
revisited at a later date by both the town and school boards.